Upgrade from 939 system

Matt_Hirst

Matt_Hirst

Matt_Hirst

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Am just looking at what to upgrade on my current machine, am looking at future proofing as much as possible, windows 7, is it better to go amd socket am3 or wait for the i5?

Current spec is DFI Lanparty SLI-dr mb
Opteron 170
Ati GTO2 unlocked to x850
2 gb ram
36gb Raptor as boot drive
4 * 250gb as data drives - were in raid, but have since split to individuals.

Have pre-orderred windows 7.

Main uses would be general office, Visual studio development, photo editting and need to do some video work in the short term, this will be a one off (wedding video). Occasional gaming.

Due to money situation this upgrade will be done over a period of months so just wondering what to do first?

regards,

Matt
 
As its going to be done overtime, didn't really want to post a price, as I am not too sure. Suppose I am looking at what to do at each stage of upgrade and a rough cost to do it e.g.:

First stage upgrade mb, cpu and ram:

intel route, specs, cost
amd route, specs, cost.

Also reasons to go one route as opposed to another for the type of work I do.

regards,

Matt
 
agree with budget being main factor, however your current set up is quite outdated, I think youd prob have to upgrade all in one go tbh, so youre best saving up and doing it in a couple of months
 
Yeah, you might as well save up more and then sell this to get some more money. You can do pretty well for £400, better for £500 and £600 will get you stuff almost but not quite top of the range.
 
Matt I'm in the same boat. I have a outdated 939 system which means DDR2 and no PCI-E slot. So I have been working for a couple of months and not spending and come Friday I will be ordering a complete AMD AM3 system for about £650.

I saw wait dude. It's way more fun getting everything at once and having a day just building it.

Also from your spec there isn't anything worth keeping. I would replace the 4 * 250gb drives with a 1tb and replace the 36gb Raptor. I have a 74gb raptor but it's not worth keeping as there is little speed increase difference between it and new larger drives.
 
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I was in a similar position, with 939 3800x2. Upgraded all in one go to am3 sys: new cpu, mobo, ram, gfx, hdd. you might need to think about psu as well. I know the hdd I bought is about twice as fast as the seagate 7200.8 I had that is only a few years old.
 
Up until recently an Intel board was the only way to go... But with the Phenom II out and some decent AM3 MBs you can once again safely use AMD as a budget option without sacrificing too much performance. :cool:
E.g.
AMD Phenom II X3 Tri Core 720 Black Edition 2.8GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail
MSI 790FX-GD70 AMD 790FX (Socket AM3) PCI-Express DDR3 Motherboard
OCZ Platinum 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C7 1333MHz Dual Channel (OCZ3P13334GK)
HIS ATI Radeon HD 4870 1024MB GDDR5 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - OEM (H487F1GP)
(NB MB is a bit pricey but the MSI 770-C45 / MSI 790GX-G65 also get good reviews in the current CustomPC mag. - just OcUK don't sell these boards...)

For under <400.00 GBP AMD would be a good option now!! Looking back to the initial launch of the Phenom I am quite amazed I am able to say this again!! :)

However this could all change depending on the price point of the LGA1156 kit. I have read some early NDA reviews which sound very promising for desktop usage!

Unfortunately, as always, your best bet is to save up and replace the lot with the best price/performance kit you can get at any given time! It's not like replacing an E2180 with a Q9550 say... :D

Bob
 
he cant do that, cos his gfx card is agp, which means he'd need a new (PCI-E) gfx card too, and PSU, which only leaves HDD/case/optical drive, hence everyone else saying wait and do it in one
 
95thrifles said:
you ;) the one person saying he should spend now ;) though it was pretty clear, sry ;)
and another ;) lol
Click to expand...

Sorry really I wasn't meaning to! I think my closing bit made that clear. I was just trying to point out that there was no incremental upgrade option available to OP but that an AMD-based solution should not be ruled out any more (personally I haven't built or even used one AM2 board)... OP made it very clear that he couldn't afford a whole new system at the moment. :D

Bob
 
95thrifles said:
he cant do that, cos his gfx card is agp, which means he'd need a new (PCI-E) gfx card too, and PSU, which only leaves HDD/case/optical drive, hence everyone else saying wait and do it in one
Click to expand...

I'm assuming the ATI GTO2 he has unlocked was the Sapphire x800 GTO2, and that's PCI Express. The kit he has is almost identical to my old build an i've been upgrading it piecemeal.
 
95thrifles said:
he cant do that, cos his gfx card is agp
Click to expand...
OP's motherboard is DFI Lanparty SLI-DR = PCI-E

Intel would be better for what you do, but needs a bigger budget for i7 & Socket 775 is on its way out. But if not fussy about that this should be good:
  • Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 LGA775 "Kentsfield" 2.66GHz (1066FSB) - OEM £139.99 - or find a used Q6600
  • Asus P5QL Pro Intel P43 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £64.98
  • Corsair XMS2 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 PC2-6400C5 TwinX Dual Channel (TWIN2X4096-6400C5C) £33.99
  • Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775) £17.99
  • Sub Total : £223.43
  • Shipping : £9.50
  • VAT : £34.94
  • Total : £267.87
AMD alternative:
  • AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 955 Black Edition 3.2GHz (Socket AM3) - Retail £149.99
  • Asus M4A785TD-V Evo AMD 785G (Socket AM3) PCI-Express DDR3 Motherboard £70.99
  • OCZ Gold 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 1600MHz Dual Channel (OCZ3G16004GK) £57.99
  • Sub Total : £242.59
  • Shipping : £9.00
  • VAT : £37.74
  • Total : £289.33
For AMD, keep current GFX or use onboard. This spec will last longer thanks to AM3/DDR3.

All above is assuming you have a decent case & PSU (reputable brand 450W+)
 
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Thanx for the replies guys.

Yes the gcard is PCI-E, my psu is Enermax 600w, will this suffice for the moment? Case is a choice between two full towers I have sat at the side of me.

The AMD upgrade path sounds interesting, as it provides longevity with DDR3 - just noticed in price check part Hades is asking for prices on a Intel Q9450 with mb and ddr3, would this be a good cheap upgrade for me? Suppose it depends on waiting for him to get some price checks and also advertising it for sale.

regards,

Matt
 
Matt_Hirst said:
Yes the gcard is PCI-E, my psu is Enermax 600w, will this suffice for the moment? Case is a choice between two full towers I have sat at the side of me.
Click to expand...

just need money for the initial cpu/mobo and memory then, graphics can be updated at a later date.

i'd stick with am3 unless the kit you referred to from hades is a really decent price.

how old is the enermax ?
 
Decided to go down MM route and just picked up a Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3r motherboard, now my next question is what would be a cheap socket 775 processor to look out for that will be quicker than the opteron I currently have?

Also what memmory route would you guys reccomend to look out for DDR3 or 2, am thinking of 4gb?

regards,

Matt
 
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